Proposed bike lanes mean more gridlock for drivers

Regarding the March 11 Metro article "Bike lanes to hit the big time":

It's amazing to me that D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is joining the Secret Service in adding to the woes of anyone driving west to east through the city by proposing to reduce lanes on I and L streets NW.

On L Street, there are three choke points in the morning rush hour from 25th to 16th streets. At the turn-off from Pennsylvania Avenue onto L, if anyone's illegally parked, traffic backs up. At 23rd Street, the police illegally park on both sides of the road at least once a month. At 17th Street, a mistimed light regularly backs traffic up onto Connecticut Avenue every morning. During the evening rush hour, these streets barely move, and drivers can sit through multiple lights.

The recent snowstorms provided a real-life example of what will happen if these streets are narrowed: gridlock. During a real emergency, with fewer lanes, how much longer will it take to evacuate the city?

Michael Rhode, Arlington